Finished movements waiting to be put into watch cases at the Shinola factory in Detroit.

In terms of contemporary made-in-America success stories, it’s hard to beat watch- and bicycle-manufacturer Shinola, which opened a factory in Detroit just three years ago and quickly captured the hearts of consumers as well as the attention of manufacturers and small-business owners nationwide.

Shinola’s success can be attributed to both the quality of its offerings and its decision to set up shop in a city that has become associated with municipal bankruptcy and industrial decline. The company’s recent advertising campaign, featuring a series of images by fashion photographer Bruce Weber that highlight the spirit of Detroit through its charismatic residents and with American model Carolyn Murphy at the forefront, neatly evokes Shinola’s vision for a domestic manufacturing revival.

Shinola’s headquarters are located within the College for Creative Studies’ vast Argonaut building, formerly General Motors’ automotive research lab.

Earlier this month Shinola expanded its operation by opening an in-house leather factory. The capacious work space, set in the same massive College for Creative Studies venue as its watch factory, is home to a staff of nearly 50, overseen by leather-production manager Paloma Vega-Perez, formerly of Louis Vuitton.

Shinola hopes to produce 150,000 watches this year as well as more 10,000 or so other small leather goods—an ambitious goal made possible by its newly integrated manufacturing process. “If you can have your development and your factory in the same location, it allows a tremendous amount of collaboration and innovation,” says vice president of leather Jen Guarino. “And that provides for a better end product.”

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